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Richard Morrison on a history of musical Jubilees

June 5 2012, 12:39pm, The Times

Cliff Richard at last night's Jubilee concertDavid Moir/Reuters

A million people in the Mall? The nation’s finest rockers blasting out from the Palace to a TV audience of zillions? It sounds impressive. No, let’s not be churlish: it was impressive. But how did it measure up to history? Did the musical treats assembled for this Jubilee pale into sonic insignificance beside the royal pageants of earlier eras? Or has the modern House of Windsor cultivated a special bond between monarchs and musicians?

Well, the short answer to the last question is no. With all loyal respect to the Prince of Wales’s prowess on the cello, the British Royal Family could never be described as a powerhouse of musical talent or innovation. Not when compared with German monarchs such as Frederick the Great, a…